A CONSERVATIVE MP has said the Prime Minister’s top adviser “clearly” broke lockdown rules but he should not be sacked.

Bolton West MP Chris Green said it “would be wrong” to punish Dominic Cummings, who left his London home to make a 260-mile journey four days after the national lockdown came into force, because other MPs have broken rules too.

He has compared Mr Cummings’ actions to that of Labour MP Stephen Kinnock who tweeted on March 28 about visiting his parents for a socially-distanced celebration on his father’s birthday in their front garden.

Mr Green released a lengthy statement on Wednesday explaining his position on the matter – but it fell short of stating what he believes should happen next.

He said: “The only outstanding concern that I had of any supposed transgressions was over the family visit to a castle.

"I asked myself if there was a precedent for a response and it was in Stephen Kinnock’s long drive – a trip to celebrate a birthday.

“There was no punishment other than the police giving advice not to do it again. Mr Cummings will now be fully aware that he ought not to take any such actions in the future and follow the guidelines.

"It would be wrong to punish an adviser more harshly than a law-making Member of Parliament.”

The comment comes after a press conference at Downing Street on Monday in which Mr Cummings explained the circumstances surrounding his five-hour trip from London to self-isolate in a cottage on his father’s land in Durham.

Mr Cummings claimed he needed to be closer to members of his family who offered to look after his young child in case he and his wife became too ill with coronavirus.

But he has been accused of breaching lockdown rules by making a one-hour round trip in his car to “test his eyesight” before driving back to London.

Mr Green did not respond to requests for comment about Mr Cummings on Tuesday but tweeted about the situation following the press conference.

On Monday, he tweeted saying Cummings clarified some “misunderstandings” around his stay in and transit to Durham and why it was “within the rules”.

But in a 953-word statement released on Tuesday he said Mr Cummings “clearly” broke the rules by driving to Bardard Castle.

He said: “Current guidelines, derived from the law which was unanimously agreed in Parliament, say that people can travel to visit an attraction, such as Barnard Castle, but the guidelines at that time did not allow such a visit as we were still in a more restrictive phase of the COVID-19 outbreak.

“Dominic Cummings clearly broke this rule, so how should I react? I do believe that people should be held to account and I also believe in a consistent approach of rules being applied equally to everybody no matter who they are.

“Stephen Kinnock MP drove hundreds of miles to visit his parents, Lord and Lady Neil and Glynis Kinnock, was challenged about this but did not resign.

“A lesson was learnt, no further action was deemed necessary and it has not been repeated.

“When reflecting on the circumstances around Dominic Cummings’ visit to Barnard Castle after he had been given the all clear to return to work from a medical professional, from all the evidence I have I believe he was wrong to make that journey, in the same way that Mr Kinnock was wrong to make his.”